West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1887-04-14
REV. DIR. R.TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINE's SIN.
DAY SERMON
Subject. a Live Church.


smyrna tcrite. These things SAITH the drst
and the last, trhtch tCaS dead, and is qIircn
-lteNelation, Ii, 5.
Smyrna was great city NJ the nncionts
bounded on thres sides by mountains IL was
the central emporium OF the lcvantinc trndo
In that prosperous and brilliant city them
was Christian Church established Aftcr II
had existed tor while. 10 was rocked down
by an earthquake. 10 was rebuilt Then IL
was consumed 10y coalagration that swept
over the entire city. That Church went
through fire, and trouble, and disaster. hut
kept on 70 great Suiritual prosperity. The
TACT was, that Church had the t-Inre OF God
an ever active principle Had Ii been other
wise all the grandeur OF architecture and all
the pomp OF surroundings would ONLY have
Ueen the ornament of deRth-tho garlands OF
a collin, the plumcS of "A hearsp
IL may be profitable 10 consider what are
the elements Of a live Church
l remark IN the tirSt place, that one char
hcterlSuc OF such Church is punCtuality i'm
meeting itS engagements. All ecclesiastical
institutions have financial rclat ons, and they
ought 70 meet their obligations inst os cer-
tainly as men meet their obligations Mt the
Dank. When Church Of God is not as faithful
IN It's promises as the Bank of ENGLAND. IL
ceases 10 bo Church OF COD. IL ou,ht 20 I've
unuerSbood that prayers cannot paint n
Onurch, and prayers cannot Vay tho winters
o Al bill, and prayers cannot meet the insur-
.lce; and that, while prayers can do a
IouSand things, there are a thousand
sshlHss thaJ prayers cannot DO PRAYER
tor any particular Church will never
reach heaven high unless IL goes down
pocket deep. In my Church at the West.
there was man of comfortable means. who
used t. pray FOR his pastor in such elongated
style that he became a nuisance 10 the PRAYER
nesting asking God, I'M n prayer that was
almost without CcaSing that IN. pastor might
be blessed in his basket and i'm his store while
the TACT was he never paid auVthiug III wa
pray Tor tho advancement of the Church opd
90 not out OF our means contribute for its nd
N,ahCSment' our PRAYER IS only mOcSery Let
inc church OF God then meet its obligations
ON the outside, and let the Nom lcrs of every
congregation mes the Obligations On tho in
nde, and the Church Will bo financially pros
pc GUS
Let me say, also, that there must be punctu-
ahty an the attendance on tho lolSe OF the
Lord. lf tho service begins at half past ton
IN the morning, the regular congregation of
live church will not como nt "A quarter Ia
eleven. If the service IS 20 begin at half past
Sven ssNeh ~ the evening, the regular congrega-
uoh OF a live church will not come at "A
quarter 70 eight ln some churches / have
noticed the people arc always tardv. There
are some people who arc always late Tbov
were porn TOO late. and the probe 1ility they
VIII die too late The Iustiiug OF desc a.,
the aisle, aud the samminE OF doors ana
the treading Of heavy feet is moor
inspiration for minister It requires Great
abstraction In pastors MN t1procccd with
the preliminary exercises OF the Church when
one -hali OF tho audience seated are looking
around 10 see the other half come IN. Sucn
a difference of Attendance upou the house
OF God may be a difference OF time piecas.
but the live Church Of which / am spsakin9
ought 70 90 by railroad time and that is
pretty wei understood i'm AN our communities
There IS one hymn that ought To Le sun,, In a
great many Christian families on Sabbath
morning:
Early, my God, without delay.
haste 20 seek Thy fuCs.'
Another characteristic OF n live church {,
the fact that all the people participate i'm the
exercises stranger can tell by the wav tbe
hrsJ tune starts whether there is nuv Ufe
there. church that docs not sing is n ,ond
church. n is awful to find a cold drilzIo ~
music coming down from the orr,an iost
while oll the people beneath sit i'm silence
w non tune Waudors around. lonely and nm
beIricndcd and i5 finally lost amid tho arches
because the people do not join i'm it. there Is
I5' ny .lu'h melody made unto the Lord In
hea'ch ihey ali sing, though some thera
cannot sing half as VOL M. otbers
lhe Methodist Church has sung AN arouni
lhe world, and gone from conquest IN
conquest, among other things because it is "a
singing church, aud any Christian chttrcl, Or
ganilation that with u.lu.i1s,n rerfl,~,,s tJ,i,
part or ITS duty VIII go ON from triuDph 10
triumph church OfGoI that can sing cnp
40 anything That ought % Ls done (Vc co
toIln Ihip this holy war with the Bible i'm one
.i .I'll aIi9 hymu-bpoS in the other OH We
VINO uSel 70 sing thc praises Of Tho Lord and
nave got out Oi The habit take your harms
down from the willows / am Glad 10 kuoyv
thati as q church, wo arc MAKING adynuco.
m'nt in this respect When came 10 lo y0ur
pastor We had an excellent choir iU tla ittIe
chapel, and they song very swratly to ijs Soi-
pain by sabbath, but cvoruud anon fbore was
trouble Tor You know that the cl0ile iu tbo
United state nr- The Waforlog- where no
great battles go oa. Ono sunday thcy viii
sn'B ilEe ausce. aud Tine uc.t SUNDAY they
WIZ ue maj. au WI mot sing at uII $50 r.-
solved 20 setilC ai tho oi.Icl.fir. and inv.
one 'k.lilul man no tao orL1u. and ono iuaD
70 90 the Worh %. 90 pr.raIfHr. and now. from
S,opbolh to Sah.a a.i, tine song comes up Iiks
'ho voice OF mighty laundering.
" Let those refuse 90 e.ny
Who never knew our God
But children Ol the Eoae.u. KIM
should suraE fuar Io.suirurd "
On tho way 20 triumph that Dovcrcuds. rr,
pleasures that never dic-siugi
Another characteristic Of n live church iss
hourishing sabbath school 10 is TOO late BIZ
the history Of the Christian Church t0 argut
the benefit OF such an institution Tho Sab
bath-achOOl Is not q supplement t1tho Church
20 is rs right arm Brt You say there ary
dead churches that lnve S1IbatltcuCols.
yes, but the sabbath schools arc dead. too.
II rs dead mother holding iu ter arms %
dead child. But when superintendent. and
Haohersi ana scholars come GA abbnth after
moons together. their faces glowing with lu-
terest and enthusiasm, and their f1ug- aro
htard oll through the exercises. and at the
clpae they go away feeling that they have
ifeu ON the Mount of Trans Igurtt1u- that
De- live school, and 10 b. characteristic rf n
against the Sabbath school, of fla country.
ana That ls, they are too r..Tr.iab.c We